"now that I have some time to think…"

Trying Out Sobriety

My entree into the world of heavy drinking was as slow as my exit was abrupt and unexpected.

I can find notes in journals that go back as far as the 80’s where I was making resolutions to cut back on my drinking, but it wasn’t until the past 15 years or so that I developed into a much more heavy and habitual drinker.

I can’t offer a substantive reason for how it developed, but there was a confluence of events that influenced me. In 2000, my son left for college, and I felt a seismic shift in my life as I saw my role as “dad” begin to shift and, in my mind, diminish. At the same time, I discovered the comfort one could find in being a regular at a local pub or in the bar of a local restaurant. I liked bartenders knowing my name, knowing my drink, making space for me at the end of the bar, fronting me a drink from time to time, giving me attention that I felt, for that brief moment made me special, a friend.

Living in San Diego a new brewery began to open up almost weekly and so frequent trips to visit those spots weren’t drinking; they were research. It seemed important to have tried the latest beers to keep up in conversations with other beer geeks. Beer festivals became a monthly diversion.

I did not, and do not consider myself an alcoholic, but my habits surrounding my drinking became more and more unhealthy. Four beers a night felt like my ceiling and I felt cheated when I didn’t get there. That meant happy hour had to get started earlier on some days, and that, at times, I would ditch my night-time walk to sit outdoors in the cold and enjoy a 22-ounce beer, alone, and content with the isolation and the quiet. If I was feeling good, I didn’t mind breaking through my self-imposed ceiling.

I told some friends that I was aware that I was “drinking like there was no tomorrow” and I meant that literally. If I felt good at the moment I was drinking, it was easy to convince myself that an extra beer or two would not hurt me in the morning, no matter how many days I’d wake up with a bad stomach and have to fight through dizziness for most of the day. No matter how many plans I made to cut back, they all failed. As soon as I began to feel better, I was good to go again.

In the back of my mind the bigger “tomorrow” of how I might be affecting my health always pinged at me too, but to a lesser degree. I had developed a kind of fatalism as I grew older and seen younger, health-conscious friends and colleagues felled by accident and heinous diseases. I became convinced that if I was going to get sick or disabled, it was going to happen if and when it was going to happen, regardless of my drinking. In fact, it was more reason to enjoy what I liked while I could.

What made me change direction was a doctor’s visit that was prompted by increased heart palpitations that I was having. It is a condition I’ve had for years and I’ve been through every test and monitoring protocol that they offer with no definitive result. Caffeine and alcohol were certainly potential triggers, but so are dehydration, exertion, stress, anxiety–take your pick–I’m prone to all of these things.

However, I was frank with my doctor about my drinking habits and he just cut through the bullshit and said, “I think you should quit–entirely–so we can see if you feel better without the nightly alcohol.” I was a little scared at the thought. I wasn’t sure I could do it.

That was six weeks ago. Friends and family members had urged me to moderate my drinking for years, but I suck at moderation. Quitting, it turns out, I can do. Moderating, not so much.

While I found I did not suffer from any physical withdrawal symptoms, I spiraled pretty quickly into a depression that was full of self-pity and anger–anger at having to change my ways, anger that I hadn’t changed sooner, anger that I might have actually done physical damage to myself that I’d now have to deal with. I felt fearful that I’d resolve to make this change and quickly slide back into the well-worn ruts of my long-established habits and disappoint myself and the people closest to me.

I felt like by making this decision I had created a void in my life–no more breweries, no more happy hours, no more wine tasting, no more catching the game at my local sports bar. I couldn’t imagine doing those things as a non-drinker.

I think what hurt the most though was knowing I was leaving behind the thing I liked best about drinking. It was the sensation that I would sometimes get, especially when I was out somewhere on my own, sitting outdoors on a warm day, that there was absolutely nothing to worry about, that all was truly right with the world. The hazy, carefree numbness that alcohol gave to me was its greatest gift. It somehow took away the worries I carry, the sense of always needing to be responsible, the sense of needing to always be doing something. With a couple of beers under my belt, I could put my headphones on and be thoroughly content–at least for an hour or two.

In working with an addiction medicine therapist to help me navigate this change, I’ve gained a lot of insight. She has helped me to shift my concentration away from what I felt I was losing to what I was gaining. First off, I discovered that I had not created a void by giving up drinking. The void had been with me for a long time. Alcohol had simply helped me paper over feelings of isolation or purposelessness or inadequacy. Now, I need to confront those feelings for what they are and see what kind of growth can come from that.

I discovered that my denial that drinking had become a problem for me had become a huge burden, one that I could now unload. I had no idea how exhausting it had become justifying my excesses to myself. I didn’t realize how much guilt I was carrying around until I no longer needed to do so.

I thought social events would be troublesome, being around so many other who were able to drink with impunity while I was having to walk the straight and narrow, but again I found a sense of relief. Throughout the night, I didn’t have to think about how many drinks I had consumed, or how many more I might be able to allow myself. I didn’t have to worry if I’d be OK to drive. The one down side was that I found it hard to simply relax without the aid of a few drinks. I guess maybe that will come with time.

It’s only been six weeks. Six weeks of sobriety after 800 weeks of indulgence give or take. I honestly don’t know where this all leads for me. It would be so very easy to slide back into my old habits. I’m not trying for life of pure abstinence. I expect that there will be some cheating going on from time to time.

And that seems OK to me. But for now, I like where I am. It feels good to be able to change. It feels good to be on a new pathway. It’s why I liked the quote I chose for the beginning of the post. I’m not expecting some kind of sudden perfection. I just want to keep moving forward.

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15 thoughts on “Trying Out Sobriety”

Tom–you have my admiration and support in this endeavor. Can’t encourage you enough to watch your physical and emotional health. You’ve got years ahead of you–make them meaningful with your writing and your family.
Jim turns 87 tomorrow–who knows how many years each of us has. Sending love, “mom” Marion Bench

Thanks, Mom! Marion, you know how much I value your wisdom and insights. Wish Jim a very happy birthday for me and let him know I’m working to try to get in those next 20 years and catch up to him (I turn 65 in January!).

You’ll never look back. Having been on “the wagon” for a few years now, your post takes me back to my binging days and the memory of that absolute euphoria of the first “hard earned” drink after a couple of days at work. The endorphins released with that first sip gave me such a fantastic high, that everything else was always going to be a low. It probably took me at least a year to stop believing drink actually enriched my life. Arguably, I wasn’t doing any damage killing off those couple of useless brain cells I had left, but I think now I have a much better perspective on the not so subtle difference between a connoisseur and consumer.

P., Thank you so much for this. It really helped to hear from someone who has been through a similar experience. I can understand it taking a year to “unlearn” the actual value of drinking. The rest of my health check-up seemed to show that, like you, I probably haven’t done any irreparable damage to my health which is a relief. I’m only 6 weeks in and I don’t even know if it’s OK to step off the wagon for an evening and then jump right back on or if I’m better off staying firmly aboard. Anyway, thanks for sharing. It helped a lot.

I was watching a repeat of M.A.S.H. a couple of months ago and it had a line from Hawkeye that resonated with me, “I’ll have a drink when I want it, not when I need it.” Now that the need has dissapated, it’s pretty rare I actually pick up a glass, even more rare for me to finish it.

But then this quote, “in wine their is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” Okay, sorry, that’s not helping!

Tom,
I enjoyed your blog about sobriety. I have always admired you as a very intelligent, well read and insightful person.You are one of the best writer’s that I personally know. I found your blog to be very truthful, candid and inspirational. You showed great courage in expressing your thoughts and sharing them with us. I am sure it will help many people.

I fully support your efforts and I am sure you will maintain your state of sobriety.

Lovely piece Tom. Thank you for putting your journey into words and being ok with Presence- where you are right now. We are each trying to wrangle life in some way. Your words inspire me that the growth and the movement forward is in the trying. xx

As I reached age 49 recently, I also celebrated 6 months of sobriety. I drank for
most of my life but somewhere in the past 10 years it became so…big. So important… And then, in the past two or three years, it wasn’t even fun anymore. Just necessary and scary and enslaving. I think the biggest gift of sobriety has been the freedom to stop thinking about drinking. That was as exhausting as all the hangovers! Now going forward I know that sobriety is the path for me. There is no moderation. I don’t want to enjoy “a glass of wine” – I want the whole bottle and then another. I know this to be true. So…many many congrats to you. It is hard work, but it is good work.

Wow! You’re going great guns … I ditched the wine at the end of December, but then moved the addiction onto Bloody Marys, so Vodka. Not great, however about a fortnight ago I stopped it all. Thank God is all I can say. I miss the fuzzy warm relaxed feeling but that it all. I think you’ve done seriously well to get this far … keep on going! I’m right behind you. If you can do six weeks, then so can I. Have a happy Friday fellow non-drinking blogger and have a good weekend. 👍

Thanks, Betty. I looked time to look at your blog and read a couple of the most recent posts and sounds like our experiences were quite similar. In fact, everyone who has quit and contacted me had similar stories to tell–not the “I hit rock bottom in a gutter one night” stories, but just a burden of unhappiness about how life was revolving around drinking. I also tend to find substitutes, but for now it’s cold brewed coffee, hot tea at night, and sparkling water the rest of the time. I think I’m into my 12th week now. Thumbs up, flower, sunshine–it’s all good–thanks so much for the encouragement.